REVIEW
I have mixed feeling about this next place. I had my first lunch, then dinner at Patrick J's Irish Pub at 3052 12 Mile Rd in Berkley on 18 August 2016. My lunch was a bit of a disappointment, but I was willing to give the place another try supposing that everyone has a bad day every now and then. Several hours later, during dinner, things took a turn for the better.
When I walked in the door, my first impression is that the feel of the place, although new, was cold, dark and a little depressing. The music in the back ground was a little too loud for my taste. Part of a good dining experience is being able to talk to the one you're with without asking, "Whaaaaat???" all the time.
When I walked in the door, my first impression is that the feel of the place, although new, was cold, dark and a little depressing. The music in the back ground was a little too loud for my taste. Part of a good dining experience is being able to talk to the one you're with without asking, "Whaaaaat???" all the time.
Lunch was as bleak as the music playing in the back ground. I ordered the Regular Ruben Sandwich, which turned out to be two slabs of rye bread, corned beef and melted Thousand Island dressing soaked in oil. It was as if the whole sandwich was submerged in the deep fryer without the courtesy of allowing it to rest on some paper towels to soak up the grease. The bread alone was so drenched in oil that I thought that animal rights activist would band together and complain that a poor little corned beef on rye would be subjected to so much grease. I don't think I would order the Ruben again unless I knew that the chef actually made it himself. It's too bad, too, because it's pretty hard to mess up a Ruben. Somehow, whoever made it needs to learn how to adequately drain the grease. Either that or find another job; and that not being an environmentalist who cleans up oil spills. Either way, he should stick to prepping before he (or she) moves on to making food for customers. He actually gave the Ruben a bad name.
The Irish Stew was a combination of very dark (almost black) broth with pieces of shredded beef, potatoes, mushrooms, tomato and veg. It tasted nice but wasn't what I was expecting. The broth was very watery and resembled nothing like a stew. No flour or corn starch is used to thicken it into a gravy, which is fine, but I was expecting a little more body to the broth. The broth had the consistency of French Onion soup without the cheese, but like I said, it tasted nice. I expected more from an authentic Irish Stew inside an Irish Pub. Fortunately, I gave the place another try a month later. My wife ordered the Irish Stew, but hers was A LOT better than what I had tried a month earlier. The server told us that the chef had changed the recipe and made it an actual stew. It was delicious. I was very pleased that they got it right.
The Cole Slaw was what I would describe as unusual. It was edible, but I just couldn't put my finger on what made it so different. I called and spoke to the Sous chef, who informed me that it was a sesame ginger Asian slaw whose major ingredient is shaved broccoli. I'm wondering what an Asian slaw is doing on an Irish Pub menu? Can't say that I'm a fan. Give me a creamy slaw any day to go with my Ruben. Being that both the sandwich and slaw were sub-par, one couldn't cancel the other out. They need to work on both. I think that if one operates an Irish Pub, it's a good idea to stay with food native to the British Isles and forgo the idea of introducing dishes from other continents (like Asia). When I see a sign for an Irish restaurant, I don't expect to be eating Asian slaw. A good burger I can understand, but, Asian slaw?
After speaking further with the chef, he told me that he uses fresh cod and loin of cod never frozen. He had just gotten a new batch of fish in that morning. It's hard for me to stay away from fresh fish, so that was my deciding factor in going back. After arriving for dinner I ordered the Fish & Chips (Pacific cod) and O' Rings. The Fish and Chips is their best seller. The O' Rings were a pretty big portion with a side of honey mustard dipping sauce. You could tell the onion rings were made in house, but still on the greasy side. They could've sat a bit longer draining, but the onions were sweet and hot. The dipping sauce was well done, but unnecessary. Well made onion rings should be able to stand on their own without the help of a dipping sauce to accentuate their flavor.
When the fish and chips arrived, I was awed by the size of the fillet. It was at least 10 to 12 inches long and four inches thick at it's widest point. I jokingly asked the server, "What did you do? Bring me JAWS?" I was very surprised and pleased with the portion. The cod was perfectly coated with a tasty batter and deep fried to a golden brown. Still, the batter was also dripping with grease. There wasn't enough Dawn Dishwater detergent to absorb the oil slick this thing produced. The meat inside however, was flaky, moist and tender. The flakes of cod were huge, the size of sea scallops. They fell off with just the slightest brush of the fork. It was the best cod I've ever eaten, minus the oil spill it produced. Mind you, I'm talking about the fish alone, not the batter. It was more like giant perch than cod, it was that good. It rivals the fish I had at the Dickens Inn on the banks of the Thames River in London. The only thing that took away from the dish was the overabundance of grease.
The Tarter Sauce at Patrick J's was creamy, but a little salty. The chips (fries) were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but still a bit greasy. There is a way to deep fry food without making the grease the star of the dish. I hope they get around to cracking that code because it is a skill they need to master if they're going to be first rate. They need to find a way to soak up all of that oil before they serve it. A place that knows how to fry fish right, without having grease drip from the batter, is WestWynd Grille, on the WestWynd Golf Course in Oakland Twp, in Rochester at 4161 N. Adams Rd. They use a very tasty beer batter, and every fillet was crunchy, delicate. Not a drop of oil drained onto my platter. WestWynd Grille has a seasonal menu, so call ahead to see if they offer either cod on their Friday All-U-Can Eat Fish Fry. (248) 608-7820.
For desert at Patrick J's, I ordered the Crem Brule. Once I chipped through the candied sugar shell, the actual custard was light, airy and not too sweet. It was garnished with fresh whipping cream, a berry and two leaves of spearmint. It was a nice touch and overall, a delight.
Today I went back to try their Basic pub burger, which is basically an American Deluxe. I sent it back. The bun was like stiff cardboard. It was difficult to get through to the actual patty. Two bites was enough. I exchanged the Basic Burger for their Shepherds Pie. The server cautioned me that the Shepherds ie was made with lamb. I said, "Good, because that's the way it should be made." It was a hit. Very traditional and filing. My wife had the Stew and Onion Rings. The O'Rings weren't dripping with as much grease as last month, but they were still glistening with oil.
Although I'd go back just for the fish, I hope they could find a way to temper the grease. The ingredients are fresh, which is a testimony to their commitment to serve quality food, but in some dishes, the execution is lacking. They try to serve gourmet bar food, but seem to be struggling to do it well. Perhaps with a little practice, they can improve on themselves as they did with the Irish Stew. Another plus is that the service was very good. The atmosphere was a little stark, but they have nice comfortable booths. As it stands now, I'd give Patrick J's two and a half out of five leprechauns for their efforts to give their customers quality fresh ingredients and a nice dining experience. But, they'd have to do a better job soaking up the excess petroleum from their fried dishes if they are to earn the other 2 1/2 lepers.
I'm looking forward to updating this review in the near future after trying some of their other non-fried items, and to see if they were able to separate themselves from the greasy bar food oil cartel. I know that they are trying to create a friendly and interactive culture, but they need to stay with things that work, like buying fresh fish, and backing off on using so much oil, which ruins it. I wish them all the luck of the Irish.
The Irish Stew was a combination of very dark (almost black) broth with pieces of shredded beef, potatoes, mushrooms, tomato and veg. It tasted nice but wasn't what I was expecting. The broth was very watery and resembled nothing like a stew. No flour or corn starch is used to thicken it into a gravy, which is fine, but I was expecting a little more body to the broth. The broth had the consistency of French Onion soup without the cheese, but like I said, it tasted nice. I expected more from an authentic Irish Stew inside an Irish Pub. Fortunately, I gave the place another try a month later. My wife ordered the Irish Stew, but hers was A LOT better than what I had tried a month earlier. The server told us that the chef had changed the recipe and made it an actual stew. It was delicious. I was very pleased that they got it right.
The Cole Slaw was what I would describe as unusual. It was edible, but I just couldn't put my finger on what made it so different. I called and spoke to the Sous chef, who informed me that it was a sesame ginger Asian slaw whose major ingredient is shaved broccoli. I'm wondering what an Asian slaw is doing on an Irish Pub menu? Can't say that I'm a fan. Give me a creamy slaw any day to go with my Ruben. Being that both the sandwich and slaw were sub-par, one couldn't cancel the other out. They need to work on both. I think that if one operates an Irish Pub, it's a good idea to stay with food native to the British Isles and forgo the idea of introducing dishes from other continents (like Asia). When I see a sign for an Irish restaurant, I don't expect to be eating Asian slaw. A good burger I can understand, but, Asian slaw?
After speaking further with the chef, he told me that he uses fresh cod and loin of cod never frozen. He had just gotten a new batch of fish in that morning. It's hard for me to stay away from fresh fish, so that was my deciding factor in going back. After arriving for dinner I ordered the Fish & Chips (Pacific cod) and O' Rings. The Fish and Chips is their best seller. The O' Rings were a pretty big portion with a side of honey mustard dipping sauce. You could tell the onion rings were made in house, but still on the greasy side. They could've sat a bit longer draining, but the onions were sweet and hot. The dipping sauce was well done, but unnecessary. Well made onion rings should be able to stand on their own without the help of a dipping sauce to accentuate their flavor.
When the fish and chips arrived, I was awed by the size of the fillet. It was at least 10 to 12 inches long and four inches thick at it's widest point. I jokingly asked the server, "What did you do? Bring me JAWS?" I was very surprised and pleased with the portion. The cod was perfectly coated with a tasty batter and deep fried to a golden brown. Still, the batter was also dripping with grease. There wasn't enough Dawn Dishwater detergent to absorb the oil slick this thing produced. The meat inside however, was flaky, moist and tender. The flakes of cod were huge, the size of sea scallops. They fell off with just the slightest brush of the fork. It was the best cod I've ever eaten, minus the oil spill it produced. Mind you, I'm talking about the fish alone, not the batter. It was more like giant perch than cod, it was that good. It rivals the fish I had at the Dickens Inn on the banks of the Thames River in London. The only thing that took away from the dish was the overabundance of grease.
The Tarter Sauce at Patrick J's was creamy, but a little salty. The chips (fries) were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, but still a bit greasy. There is a way to deep fry food without making the grease the star of the dish. I hope they get around to cracking that code because it is a skill they need to master if they're going to be first rate. They need to find a way to soak up all of that oil before they serve it. A place that knows how to fry fish right, without having grease drip from the batter, is WestWynd Grille, on the WestWynd Golf Course in Oakland Twp, in Rochester at 4161 N. Adams Rd. They use a very tasty beer batter, and every fillet was crunchy, delicate. Not a drop of oil drained onto my platter. WestWynd Grille has a seasonal menu, so call ahead to see if they offer either cod on their Friday All-U-Can Eat Fish Fry. (248) 608-7820.
For desert at Patrick J's, I ordered the Crem Brule. Once I chipped through the candied sugar shell, the actual custard was light, airy and not too sweet. It was garnished with fresh whipping cream, a berry and two leaves of spearmint. It was a nice touch and overall, a delight.
Today I went back to try their Basic pub burger, which is basically an American Deluxe. I sent it back. The bun was like stiff cardboard. It was difficult to get through to the actual patty. Two bites was enough. I exchanged the Basic Burger for their Shepherds Pie. The server cautioned me that the Shepherds ie was made with lamb. I said, "Good, because that's the way it should be made." It was a hit. Very traditional and filing. My wife had the Stew and Onion Rings. The O'Rings weren't dripping with as much grease as last month, but they were still glistening with oil.
Although I'd go back just for the fish, I hope they could find a way to temper the grease. The ingredients are fresh, which is a testimony to their commitment to serve quality food, but in some dishes, the execution is lacking. They try to serve gourmet bar food, but seem to be struggling to do it well. Perhaps with a little practice, they can improve on themselves as they did with the Irish Stew. Another plus is that the service was very good. The atmosphere was a little stark, but they have nice comfortable booths. As it stands now, I'd give Patrick J's two and a half out of five leprechauns for their efforts to give their customers quality fresh ingredients and a nice dining experience. But, they'd have to do a better job soaking up the excess petroleum from their fried dishes if they are to earn the other 2 1/2 lepers.
I'm looking forward to updating this review in the near future after trying some of their other non-fried items, and to see if they were able to separate themselves from the greasy bar food oil cartel. I know that they are trying to create a friendly and interactive culture, but they need to stay with things that work, like buying fresh fish, and backing off on using so much oil, which ruins it. I wish them all the luck of the Irish.
